Water Leak | Page 39 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

wtf, now I have a leak in 3rd row coming through where the seatbelt attaches to roof. hopefully this is under warrenty. what else can go wrong with this SUV. already replaced my cooling fan twice and some module that made my touch screen black and unusable. 2011 limited with 30k miles
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





If you're out of warranty then I'm afraid you're going to be footing the bill. You could try going through Crystal and see if there is anything she can do for you since this seems to be an ongoing problem with some of the Explorers.

Peter
 






Best of luck getting it fixed. Mine is in the shop of the 5th time. This time they dropped the head liner. They say they fixed it. I sure hope so. I want my Explorer back!
 






"Ruby Redneck Scuppers"...

This suggestion might sound a bit goofy to some, it is a utilitarian approach, (hey, it's for a Sport "Utilitarian" Vehicle, isn't it?) but I have done this on several ("old"er) vehicles in the past, it is a somewhat proactive approach to leaks or spills that does nothing to stop them, but makes their effects less severe and easier to clean up until they are fixed.

I take a sharp punch (a nail might work if the metal is thin enough) and punch a small hole at the lowest point in the spare tire well (you could do it in any of the body pans, like a floor well too). Check underneath before you do this, of course, we don't want holes in a brake line, fuel line, or gas tank, do we?

It will make a small hole that "volcanoes" downward and allow any water to drain, while stopping capillary rise from allowing any water (rain, splash spray) in. Better than drilling a hole - the piercing process also makes the hole a bit lower than the surrounding sheet metal.

A coating of thin grease on a coin-sized piece of rubber or plastic will make a barrier to incoming fumes if you are concerned about that later, and still allow water to run out on an occasion that it happens. A drop of oil rustproofs it for life.

Still worried about the hole but need to drain already-present water out? Then just plug the hole up with a short screw when you're done.

I am active in various watersports, and also carry distilled water jugs around occasionally, so this has been a bit of an insurance policy. Haven't done this to the Ex. Yet.
;)
 






Update

Hi folks:

So just want to give an update to my post a few above. Brought my 11 Explorer back to the dealer that I bought it from last month. They have a body shop in their facility.

The body shop took off the tailgate and swears they have found and patched the leak. I can see several areas in the back tailgate area where it looks like there is an abundance of sealant in several places.

When I brought it in last week, there was 3" of water in the spare tire well.

They didn't charge me for the repair, fortunately.

However...they also missed a few things. Like the carpet in the spare tire well was still wet and I had to pull it out and hung it up in my basement to dry it out completely.

Anyone know if the padding in behind the carpet is mildew resistant?

So fingers crossed this is the fix. Will keep you posted.
 






Hi folks:

So just want to give an update to my post a few above. Brought my 11 Explorer back to the dealer that I bought it from last month. They have a body shop in their facility.

The body shop took off the tailgate and swears they have found and patched the leak. I can see several areas in the back tailgate area where it looks like there is an abundance of sealant in several places.

When I brought it in last week, there was 3" of water in the spare tire well.

They didn't charge me for the repair, fortunately.

However...they also missed a few things. Like the carpet in the spare tire well was still wet and I had to pull it out and hung it up in my basement to dry it out completely.

Anyone know if the padding in behind the carpet is mildew resistant?

So fingers crossed this is the fix. Will keep you posted.

A certified Preown carries a 1yr/12k bumper to bumper warranty, the dealership can't charge you for the repair even if they wanted to. Id have them replace whatever was wet/mildew as well being you are covered.
 






A certified Preown carries a 1yr/12k bumper to bumper warranty, the dealership can't charge you for the repair even if they wanted to. Id have them replace whatever was wet/mildew as well being you are covered.

They replaced my carpets. Warranty.
 






So I guess I lucked out on the 3rd row water leak. Back in the summer, I was rear ended. So i went back to my collision shop and they fixed it with the ladies insurance that rear ended me. So maybe the seam got a crack from that accident
 






Hey guys, my name is Brandon and I bought my first explorer in May of this year. It was a brandy new 2014 XLT with all the goodies but I'm having a water leak issue also. The vehicle had 8,1xx miles on it and will be going back to the dealer now for the 2nd time due to the front left door filling up with water. I first noticed it after a heavy rain storm and the cup holder on the inside plastic door card was full of water... After trying to soak it up 3 times and it kept reappearing, I took off both the screws at the bottom of the inside plastic door card and water was literally pouring out the holes for a solid 90seconds. Luckily I got it all on video and showed the dealer... Well sure enough 2 weeks later after another rain storm I went out to check and it's doing the same thing... Again I got it on video. My biggest concern is that after the first time this happened I removed the interior door card and the electrical harness was literally soaked at the bottom of the door where it was clearly underwater before I drained the door. That's a major safety concern in my eyes with the possibility of something shorting out on my wife while she's driving down the highway or something. It's due to be back at the dealer this monday..... Anyone have any problems like this?
 






Welcome to the Forum CT9AIX and Merry Christmas.:wavey:
The water should drain through the drain holes along the bottom door edge unless they are blocked. I don't believe your problem is a common issue here.

Peter
 






Merry Christmas Peter!

Yes the dealer did mention that they found some plastic blocking the front drain and they removed it. But with the door filling up again with water I'm starting to wonder if they actually checked the drains or if that was just the "easy" answer to get me out the door.
 






...It's due to be back at the dealer this monday...

I'm glad you're headed back to the dealership, Brandon. I want to make sure your regional customer service manager (CSM) is involved as well. To get started, PM me your full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, current mileage, and servicing dealership. I'll ensure this gets into the hands of your CSM. :thumbsup:

Crystal
 












Update on my water leak:

Well, the dealership's first repair attempt did not work. So, I took it back in. The dealership's body shop had my car for a full two weeks; after several attempts to stop the leaks, they had to bring in the outside leak experts ("Leak Pro?"). I got it back a few days before Christmas. I didn't want to post anything until after we'd had a couple good soaking rains, which has now happened. And, happily, I haven't seen any signs of water leaks! Yes! Long-Lewis Ford in Hoover, Alabama took good care of the customer and fixed the car. I hate that this happened with a new-ish car, but happy with how it was handled. Thanks again.
 






Glad it's fixed. If you plan on keeping the vehicle for a while you might want to consider a quality anti- rust oil spray. Or at least a DIY spray on that door interior. Not only will it help with rust on the interior sheet metal, but it is also good for electrical connections where the water immersion has given corrosion a head start.
;)
 






PM sent. Thanks Crystal

Sure thing, CT9AIX; I sent you a response this morning. :thumbsup:

... I haven't seen any signs of water leaks! Yes! Long-Lewis Ford in Hoover, Alabama took good care of the customer and fixed the car. I hate that this happened with a new-ish car, but happy with how it was handled. Thanks again.

Fantastic, dudefish! Thanks for sharing your results with us; I'm so glad the dealership took excellent care of you.

Crystal
 






Well I figured I'd give an update on my driver door leak. For anyone reading this, our 2014 XLT with 8200 miles had a major water leak and would literally fill up the driver door full of water and hold it.

After a couple visits to the dealer and things not going how I thought they should, I spoke with "FordService" on here (her name is Crystal) and explained my situation her. She immediately fowarded my info and concerns along to a regional service manager to help me out with my local dealer.

Wendy, who was the regional service manager called me, told me she had spoke with the dealer and I had another appointment to drop vehicle off to get this fixed for good. She also approved a rental vehicle for us to use durring the repair so my wife would not be with out a vehicle. I will say everyone at the dealer was much more enthusiastic when I showed up for my appointment, and already had a rental ready.

After our explorer being there for 6 days (weekend and New Years day included), they replaced every rubber seal on the drivers door and went over the whole driver side with a fine tooth comb and really gave it hell to fix it! We've now had our explorer back for 2 days and everything seems to be good so far. We have not had any significant rain since we've got it back.... So that will be the ultimate test... But our fingers our crossed.

I just wanted to publically thank Crystal (FordService) for getting the ball rolling and taking our issue seriously and for her willingness to help. I'm also very impressed with Ford Motor Company for assigning someone to my case and taking the extra steps to get things done when the local dealer didn't seem as concerned as I was about the issues! Top notch service and another reason why I'm happy to own Ford vehicles!
 






...I just wanted to publically thank Crystal (FordService) for getting the ball rolling and taking our issue seriously and for her willingness to help. I'm also very impressed with Ford Motor Company for assigning someone to my case and taking the extra steps to get things done when the local dealer didn't seem as concerned as I was about the issues! Top notch service and another reason why I'm happy to own Ford vehicles!

You're very welcome, CT9AIX! I'm happy to hear I was able to assist. You know where to find me if there's anything I can help with in the future. :)

Crystal
 






Add one more frustrated customer to this growing list! My 2011 Explorer is doing the same thing...rain water leaks down both 3rd row seat belts and puddles up under the spare tire. I also have rust forming behind the trim on the seat frame. The diagnosis was a separated seam on each side of the roof under the ditch rails and beside both hinges on the rear hatch. I asked the service rep. what causes something like that to happen and he stated that it was probably just some type of defect from the factory. But since I had 42,000 miles on my car there was nothing he could do to help me and I was left to foot the bill. So I contacted the South East Regional Manager, but she told me the same thing. I really don't see how this issue could ever be put on the customer. I feel that this is definitely a quality issue and I never would have imagined a company as big as Ford would react like this and treat their customers in this way! What ever happened to customer loyalty?!! I guess next time I'll have to be more careful with what brand vehicle I purchase, since this seems to be the only resolution I am going to get out this situation. I'll be surprised to see this vehicle reach 150,000m before it deteriorates. My opinion.....poor quality....poor customer focus. I reckon that's what makes them afFORDable. :thumbdwn: :thumbdwn:
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





Welcome to the Forum Jason1978.:wavey:
It's unfortunate your first post had to be about the water leak issue. I'm not sure if Crystal (FordService) would be able to help in this case but I'm sure that she will chime in if she can. If you wish, you could always send her a PM to see if assistance is available.

Peter
 






Back
Top